U.S. patent application number 09/683962 was filed with the patent office on 2003-04-03 for optical disk drive module with an electromagnetic switch.
Invention is credited to Huang, Chin-Chuan.
Application Number | 20030063433 09/683962 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21679405 |
Filed Date | 2003-04-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030063433 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Huang, Chin-Chuan |
April 3, 2003 |
Optical disk drive module with an electromagnetic switch
Abstract
An optical disk drive module installed in a flat panel display
personal computer is provided for lifting up and lowering a disk
drive. The optical disk drive module includes a chassis module, a
drive carrier, a cover, a switch, a control unit, and an
electromagnetic switch. When the switch is depressed, the switch
will generate a trigger signal, the control unit will receive the
trigger signal and generate a corresponding pulse, the pulse will
cause the electromagnetic switch to separate from the cover, and
then the drive carrier will swing away from the chassis module to
lower the disk drive.
Inventors: |
Huang, Chin-Chuan; (Taipei
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NAIPO (NORTH AMERICA INTERNATIONAL PATENT OFFICE)
P.O. BOX 506
MERRIFIELD
VA
22116
US
|
Family ID: |
21679405 |
Appl. No.: |
09/683962 |
Filed: |
March 6, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.33 ;
360/137; 361/679.21; 720/657; G9B/33.027 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/187 20130101;
G06F 1/1601 20130101; G11B 33/121 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/683 ;
361/685; 361/681; 369/75.1; 360/137 |
International
Class: |
G06F 001/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 28, 2001 |
TW |
090124206 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An optical disk drive module installed in a flat panel display
personal computer for lifting up and lowering a disk drive, the
flat panel display personal computer comprising a flat panel
display and a computing module coupled to a rear side of the flat
panel display, the optical disk drive module comprising: a chassis
module moveably disposed at the rear side of the flat panel display
and having a chassis body; a drive carrier rotatably disposed in
the chassis module; a cover fixed outside the disk drive and
slidably fastened within the drive carrier so as to dispose the
disk drive in the drive carrier; a switch positioned at a front
cover of the flat panel display for generating a trigger signal
when the switch is depressed; a control unit disposed in the
computing module and coupled to the switch for receiving the
trigger signal and generating a corresponding pulse; and an
electromagnetic switch moveably disposed on the chassis body and
coupled to the control unit; wherein when fastening the
electromagnetic switch onto the cover, the drive carrier is
enclosed in the chassis module; when depressing the switch, the
switch will generate the trigger signal, the control unit will
receive the trigger signal and generate the pulse, the pulse will
cause the electromagnetic switch to separate from the cover, and
the drive carrier will swing away from the chassis module to lower
the disk drive.
2. The optical disk drive module of claim 1 wherein: the chassis
module comprises a first side plate and a second side plate formed
at two sides of the chassis body and movably fastened to the rear
side of the flat panel display, the first side plate having a first
aperture, the second side plate having a second aperture facing the
first aperture; the drive carrier comprises: a carrier body; a
first side plate and a second side plate formed at two sides of the
carrier body, the first side plate having a first protruded portion
inserted into the first aperture of the first side plate of the
chassis module, the second side plate having a second protruded
portion inserted into the second aperture of the second side plate
of the chassis module; and a first positioning hook positioned at
an upper end of the first side plate, and a second positioning hook
positioned at an upper end of the second side plate; and the cover
comprises: a cover body having a first positioning slot for
receiving the first positioning hook, and a second positioning slot
for receiving the second positioning hook so as to fasten the cover
within the drive carrier; a first side plate and a second side
plate formed at two sides of the cover and outside of the disk
drive so as to fix the cover outside of the disk drive, the first
side plate and the second side plate being slidably disposed within
the drive carrier so as to dispose the disk drive within the drive
carrier; and a switch hook positioned on the cover body for
engaging with the electromagnetic switch; wherein when the drive
carrier rotates with respect to the first protruded portion and the
second protruded portion to swing away from the chassis module, the
optical disk drive module will lower the disk drive to expose the
disk drive below the flat panel display; and when the drive carrier
rotates with respect to the first protruded portion and the second
protruded portion to swing toward the chassis module, the optical
disk drive module will raise up the disk drive to position the disk
drive at the rear side of the flat panel display.
3. The optical disk drive module of claim 2 wherein the
electromagnetic switch comprises: an electromagnetic valve disposed
on the chassis body having a channel, the electromagnetic valve
coupled to the control unit for receiving the pulse; a fastening
unit moveably disposed on the chassis body having an end secured
onto the switch hook when the drive carrier joins with the chassis
module; a rod having an end connected to the fastening unit and
another end moveably disposed in the channel; and an elastic
element connected between the fastening unit and the
electromagnetic valve, the elastic element surrounding the rod and
separating the fastening unit and the electromagnetic valve by a
predetermined distance; wherein when the electromagnetic valve
receives the pulse, the electromagnetic valve will generate a
magnetic force to pull the rod to cause the fastening unit
depressing the elastic element and thereby separating from the
switch hook, and the elastic element will then push the rod to
separate the fastening unit and the electromagnetic valve by the
predetermined distance.
4. An optical disk drive module installed in a flat panel display
personal computer for lifting up and lowering a disk drive, the
flat panel display personal computer comprising a flat panel
display and a computing module coupled to a rear side of the flat
panel display, the disk drive having a tray retractably fixed in
the disk drive, the optical disk drive module comprising: a chassis
module moveably disposed at the rear side of the flat panel display
and having a chassis body; a drive carrier rotatably disposed in
the chassis module; a cover fixed outside the disk drive and
slidably fastened within the drive carrier so as to dispose the
disk drive in the drive carrier; a computer software installed in
the computing module for displaying a user interface on the flat
panel display so as to allow a user to generate a trigger signal
through the user interface; a control unit disposed in the
computing module and coupled to the disk drive for receiving the
trigger signal and correspondingly moving the tray out of the disk
drive; and a stopper switch moveably disposed on the chassis body
and to be pushed by the tray when the tray moves out of the disk
drive, the stopper switch being fastened to the cover so as to fix
the drive carrier within the chassis module; wherein when a user
uses the computer software to generate the trigger signal, the
control unit will receive the trigger signal and move the tray out
of the disk drive, the tray will push the stopper switch to
separate the stopper switch from the cover, and the drive carrier
will swing away from the chassis module to lower the disk
drive.
5. The optical disk drive module of claim 4 wherein: the chassis
module comprises a first side plate and a second side plate formed
at two sides of the chassis body and movably fastened to the rear
side of the flat panel display, the first side plate having a first
aperture, the second side plate having a second aperture facing the
first aperture; the drive carrier comprises: a carrier body; a
first side plate and a second side plate formed at two sides of the
carrier body, the first side plate having a first protruded portion
inserted into the first aperture of the first side plate of the
chassis module, the second side plate having a second protruded
portion inserted into the second aperture of the second side plate
of the chassis module; and a first positioning hook positioned at
an upper end of the first side plate, and a second positioning hook
positioned at an upper end of the second side plate; and the cover
comprises: a cover body having a first positioning slot for
receiving the first positioning hook, and a second positioning slot
for receiving the second positioning hook so as to fasten the cover
within the drive carrier; a first side plate and a second side
plate formed at two sides of the cover and outside of the disk
drive so as to fix the cover outside of the disk drive, the first
side plate and the second side plate being slidably disposed within
the drive carrier so as to dispose the disk drive within the drive
carrier; and a switch hook positioned on the cover body for
engaging with the stopper switch; wherein when the drive carrier
rotates with respect to the first protruded portion and the second
protruded portion to swing away from the chassis module, the
optical disk drive module will lower the disk drive to expose the
disk drive below the flat panel display; and when the drive carrier
rotates with respect to the first protruded portion and the second
protruded portion to swing toward with the chassis module, the
optical disk drive module will raise up the disk drive to position
the disk drive at the rear side of the flat panel display.
6. The optical disk drive module of claim 5 wherein the stopper
switch comprises: a fastening unit moveably disposed on the chassis
body having an end secured onto the switch hook when the drive
carrier joins with the chassis module; and a stopper unit having an
end fastened to the fastening unit; wherein when the tray moves out
of the disk drive, the stopper unit is pushed by the tray and
separates the fastening unit from the switch hook thus swinging the
drive carrier away from the chassis module to expose the disk drive
below the flat panel display.
7. A flat panel display personal computer comprising: a flat panel
display; a computing module disposed at a rear side of the flat
panel display and coupled to the flat panel display; an optical
disk drive module disposed at the rear side of the flat panel
display for lifting up and lowering a disk drive, the optical disk
drive module comprising: a chassis module moveably disposed at the
rear side of the flat panel display and having a chassis body; a
drive carrier rotatably disposed in the chassis module; a cover
fixed outside the disk drive and slidably fastened within the drive
carrier so as to dispose the disk drive in the drive carrier; a
switch positioned at a front cover of the flat panel display for
generating a trigger signal when the switch is depressed; a control
unit disposed in the computing module and coupled to the switch for
receiving the trigger signal and generating a corresponding pulse;
and an electromagnetic switch moveably disposed on the chassis body
and coupled to the control unit; wherein when fastening the
electromagnetic switch onto the cover, the drive carrier is
enclosed in the chassis module; when depressing the switch, the
switch will generate the trigger signal, the control unit will
receive the trigger signal and generate the pulse, the pulse will
cause the electromagnetic switch to separate from the cover, and
the drive carrier will swing away from the chassis module to lower
the disk drive.
8. The flat panel display personal computer of claim 7 wherein: the
chassis module comprises a first side plate and a second side plate
formed at two sides of the chassis body and movably fastened to the
rear side of the flat panel display, the first side plate having a
first aperture, the second side plate having a second aperture
facing the first aperture; the drive carrier comprises: a carrier
body; a first side plate and a second side plate formed at two
sides of the carrier body, the first side plate having a first
protruded portion inserted into the first aperture of the first
side plate of the chassis module, the second side plate having a
second protruded portion inserted into the second aperture of the
second side plate of the chassis module; and a first positioning
hook positioned at an upper end of the first side plate, and a
second positioning hook positioned at an upper end of the second
side plate; and the cover comprises: a cover body having a first
positioning slot for receiving the first positioning hook, and a
second positioning slot for receiving the second positioning hook
so as to fasten the cover within the drive carrier; a first side
plate and a second side plate formed at two sides of the cover and
outside of the disk drive so as to fix the cover outside of the
disk drive, the first side plate and the second side plate being
slidably disposed within the drive carrier so as to dispose the
disk drive within the drive carrier; and a switch hook positioned
on the cover body for engaging with the electromagnetic switch;
wherein when the drive carrier rotates with respect to the first
protruded portion and the second protruded portion to swing away
from the chassis module, the optical disk drive module will lower
the disk drive to expose the disk drive below the flat panel
display; and when the drive carrier rotates with respect to the
first protruded portion and the second protruded portion to swing
toward the chassis module, the optical disk drive module will raise
up the disk drive to position the disk drive at the rear side of
the flat panel display.
9. The flat panel display personal computer of claim 8 wherein the
electromagnetic switch comprises: an electromagnetic valve disposed
on the chassis body having a channel, the electromagnetic valve
coupled to the control unit for receiving the pulse; a fastening
unit moveably disposed on the chassis body having an end secured
onto the switch hook when the drive carrier joins with the chassis
module; a rod having an end connected to the fastening unit and
another end moveably disposed in the channel; and an elastic
element connected between the fastening unit and the
electromagnetic valve, the elastic element surrounding the rod and
separating the fastening unit and the electromagnetic valve by a
predetermined distance; wherein when the electromagnetic valve
receives the pulse, the electromagnetic valve will generate a
magnetic force to pull the rod to cause the fastening unit
depressing the elastic element and thereby separating from the
switch hook, and the elastic element will then push the rod to
separate the fastening unit and the electromagnetic valve by the
predetermined distance.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an optical disk drive
module, and more specifically, the present invention discloses an
optical disk drive module with an electromagnetic switch.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] In general, a desktop computer includes a display device and
a computing module coupled with the display device. As a result of
a separating design between the computing module and the display
device, the desktop computer thus occupies a lot of space.
Therefore, a liquid crystal display personal computer (LCD PC) is
widely used for combining the computing module with the display
device so as to occupy less space than the desktop computer.
[0005] Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a side view of a flat
panel display personal computer 100 according to the prior art. The
flat panel display personal computer 100 comprises a computing
module 102, a flat panel display 104, and a chassis 106. A rear
side of the flat panel display 1 04 is coupled with a side plate 1
02a of the computing module 102, and a bottom plate 102b of the
computing module 102 is disposed on the chassis 106 so as to allow
the chassis 106 to support the computing module 102 and the flat
panel display 104. An LCD panel 107 is disposed at a front side of
the flat panel display 104 for displaying image frames of the flat
panel display personal computer 100. The computing module 102
comprises a motherboard 108, a central processing unit (CPU) 110, a
random access memory (RAM) 112, and a hard disk 114. The CPU 110,
the RAM 112, and the hard disk 114 are all coupled with the
motherboard 108. The CPU 110 is used to process information and
data of the flat panel display personal computer 100, the RAM 112
is used to register the information and data for processing by the
CPU 110, and the hard disk 114 is used to store the data.
[0006] The chassis 106 has an optical disk drive 116 installed
inside the chassis 106 for accessing data of an optical disc
positioned within the optical disk drive 116. However, the optical
disk drive engages with the chassis 106 via a number of screws,
meaning that a user must utilize a screwdriver or other auxiliary
tools to install or detach the optical disk drive 116. If threads
of the screws become worn or rusted, the user must spend more
energy and time on installing and detaching the optical disk drive
116. Although the user can directly access the optical disk drive
116 at a right side of the flat panel display personal computer
100, it is a blemish in an otherwise perfect design that the
optical disk drive 116 cannot be hidden at the rear side of the
flat panel display 104 while accessing the data of the optical
disc.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0007] It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention
to provide an optical disk drive module with an electromagnetic
switch. The optical disk drive module is installed inside a flat
panel display personal computer for hiding the optical disk drive
at a rear side of the flat panel display while accessing data of an
optical disc so as to reduce occupied space of hardware.
Furthermore, when a user wishes to operate the optical disk drive,
the user can utilize the optical disk drive module to lower the
optical disk drive through the use of a switch and an
electromagnetic switch.
[0008] The claimed invention, briefly summarized, discloses an
optical disk drive module installed in a flat panel display
personal computer for lifting up and lowering a disk drive. The
optical disk drive module comprises a chassis module, a drive
carrier, a cover, a switch, a control unit, and an electromagnetic
switch. When the switch is depressed, the switch will generate a
trigger signal, the control unit will receive the trigger signal
and generate a corresponding pulse, the pulse will cause the
electromagnetic switch to separate from the cover, and then the
drive carrier will swing away from the chassis module to lower the
disk drive.
[0009] It is an advantage of the claimed invention that the claimed
flat panel display personal computer can utilize the optical disk
drive module to conceal the disk drive at a rear side of the flat
panel display so as to reduce space occupied by hardware, and
utilize the switch and the electromagnetic switch, or computer
software and a stopper switch, to allow the optical disk drive
module to lower the disk drive so as to reveal the disk drive to a
front side of the flat panel display.
[0010] These and other objectives and advantages of the claimed
invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill
in the art after reading the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a side view of a flat panel display personal
computer according to the prior art.
[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded diagram of an optical disk drive
module with an electromagnetic switch, according to the first
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an optical disk drive
fabricated with a cover and a drive carrier.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a side view of the drive carrier.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the optical disk drive
module of the first preferred embodiment when the optical disk
drive is enclosed.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a flat panel display
personal computer with the optical disk drive module depicted in
FIG. 5.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an optical disk drive module
with a stopper switch when the optical disk drive is enclosed
according to the second preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a flat panel display
personal computer with the optical disk drive module depicted in
FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The present invention provides an optical disk drive module
installed in a flat panel display personal computer for lifting up
and lowering a disk drive. The flat panel display personal computer
comprises a flat panel display and a computing module coupled with
a rear side of the flat panel display.
[0020] The optical disk drive module comprises a chassis module, a
drive carrier, and a cover. The chassis module is moveably disposed
at the rear side of the flat panel display and has a chassis body.
The drive carrier is rotatably disposed in the chassis module. The
cover is fixed outside the disk drive and slidably fastened within
the drive carrier so as to dispose the disk drive in the drive
carrier. In particular, the present invention designs an
electromagnetic switch and a stopper switch for users to control
the optical disk drive module. Application of the present optical
disk drive module will be described with figures of the first and
second preferred embodiments illustrated as follows.
[0021] Please refer to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is an exploded
diagram of an optical disk drive module 202 with an electromagnetic
switch according to the first preferred embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the optical disk drive
module 202 fabricated with a cover and a drive carrier depicted in
FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side view of the drive carrier depicted in FIG.
2. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the optical disk drive module
202 of the first preferred embodiment when the optical disk drive
208 is enclosed. As shown in FIG. 2, the optical disk drive module
202 comprises a chassis module 204, a drive carrier 206, a disk
drive 208, a cover 210, an electromagnetic switch 211, and a switch
(not shown in FIG. 2).
[0022] The cover 210 comprises a cover body 210a, a switch hook
213, and two side plates 210b and 210c. The cover body 210a and the
side plates 210b and 210c can be formed in rectangular shapes. The
switch hook 213 is vertically positioned on a left side of the
cover body 210a for engaging with the electromagnetic switch 211,
and the side plates 210b and 210b are respectively formed at two
sides of the cover body 210a for forming the U-shape cover 210 with
the cover body 210a. Of course, the cover body 210a, the switch
hook 213, and the side plates 210b and 210c can also be formed
monolithically. The side plate 210b has two openings 212a and 212b,
and the side plate 210c also has two openings 212c and 212d. The
cover body 210a has two positioning slots 214a and 214b positioned
on a lower-right end and an upper-right end, respectively.
[0023] Furthermore, the disk drive 208 comprises a side plate 208a
with two fixing openings 216a and 216b, which are located
corresponding to the openings 212a and 212b. The disk drive 208
also has a side plate 208b opposite to the side plate 208a with two
fixing openings 216c and 216d, which are located corresponding to
the openings 212c and 212d.
[0024] When a user places the cover 210 onto the disk drive 208
along an arrow direction 250, the openings 212a, 212b, 212c, and
212d exactly correspond to the fixing openings 216a, 216b, 216c,
and 216d, respectively. Then, the user can utilize four screws to
respectively pass through the openings 212a, 212b, 212c, and 212d
to tightly lock the fixing openings 216a, 216b, 216c, and 216d so
as to allow the cover 210 to be detachably disposed on the disk
drive 208.
[0025] It needs to be noted that the cover 210 is formed according
to a shape of the disk drive 208, and locations and numbers of the
openings of the cover 210 are in accordance with the locations and
numbers of the fixing openings of the disk drive 208. The disk
drive 208 can also be monolithically formed with the cover 210.
[0026] The drive carrier 206 comprises a carrier body 206a and two
side plates 206b and 206c respectively formed at two sides of the
carrier body 206a for forming the U-shape drive carrier 206 with
the carrier body 210a. Of course, the carrier body 206a and the
side plates 206b and 206c can be formed in rectangular shapes or be
monolithically formed. The side plate 206b has two positioning
hooks 218a and 218c positioned at two upper ends of the side plate
206b, and the side plate 206c also has two positioning hooks 218b
and 218d positioned at two upper ends of the side plate 206c. The
positioning hooks 218a and 218b are used to respectively engage
with the positioning slots 214a and 214b of the cover 210, and the
positioning hooks 218c and 218d are used to engage with a left side
of the cover body 210a. Therefore, the positioning hooks 218a,
218b, 218c, and 218d are all capable of preventing the disk drive
208 and the cover 210 from separating from the drive carrier 206.
Right ends of the side plates 206b and 206c are both stretched out
of the carrier body 206a and respectively have two stoppers 215a
and 215b for pushing against a right side of the disk drive 208 and
further positioning the disk drive 208 so as to prevent the disk
drive 208 from separating from the drive carrier 206. Additionally,
the side plates 206b and 206c further comprise two protruded
portions 222a and 222b, respectively, for engaging with the chassis
module 204, and two protruded pieces 217a and 217b respectively
positioned at upper ends of the side plates 206b and 206c.
[0027] After the cover 210 is positioned onto the disk drive 208,
the user pushes the disk drive 208 to slide into the drive carrier
206 along an arrow direction 260. After performing the
aforementioned installation process, the positioning hooks 218a and
218b will exactly engage with the positioning slots 214a and 214b,
the positioning hooks 218c and 218d will push against the left
sides of the cover 210 and the disk drive 208, and the stoppers
215a and 215b will push against the right side of the disk drive
208 so as to slidably engage the cover 210 within the drive carrier
206 and to expose the switch hook 213 outside the drive carrier
206.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the disk drive 208 therefore can be
slidably fastened within the drive carrier 206 via the cover 210.
It needs to be noted that the present invention can also design the
positioning slots and the switch hook corresponding to the
positioning hooks 218a and 218b to reduce production costs of the
cover 210. The user can directly insert a disk drive with
positioning slots into the drive carrier 206, and the positioning
hooks 218a and 218b will engage with the positioning slots of the
disk drive so as to achieve a positioning effect. Furthermore, the
disk drive 208 and the drive carrier 206 can also be positioned
using other engaging methods. That is, if the disk drive 208 needs
to be detached from the drive carrier 206, the user only needs to
release the positioning hooks 218a and 218b of the drive carrier
206, and the disk drive 208 can be pulled out of the drive carrier
206.
[0029] The chassis module 204 comprises a chassis body 204a, and
two side plates 204b and 204c. The chassis body 204a and the side
plates 204b and 204c can be formed in rectangular shapes. The side
plates 204b and 204c are respectively formed at two sides of the
chassis body 204a for forming the U-shape chassis module 204 with
the chassis body 204a. Of course, the chassis body 204a, and the
side plates 204b and 204b can also be formed monolithically. Right
ends of the side plates 204b and 204c are both stretched out of the
chassis body 204a.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 4, if the drive carrier 206 has a center of
gravity G located at a central line L of the drive carrier 206, the
present invention must design the protruded portion 222a positioned
between the enter of gravity G and the stopper 215a.
[0031] Similarly, the protruded portion 222b of FIG. 2 must be
positioned between the enter of gravity C and the stopper 215b.
Therefore, the drive carrier 206 will rotate with respect to the
protruded portions 222a and 222b functioning as pivots to move
downward due to the gravity of the drive carrier 206 itself.
[0032] To control rotation extent of the drive carrier 206, the
present invention provides two chassis stoppers 228a and 228b
respectively disposed on the upper ends of the side plates 204b and
204c to push against the protruded pieces 217a and 217b after the
drive carrier 206 is swung away from the chassis module 204. The
present invention further provides two chassis stoppers 228c and
228d respectively disposed on the lower ends of the side plates
204b and 204c to push against the right sides of the side plates
206b and 206c after the drive carrier 206 is swung toward the
chassis module 204. Therefore, the chassis stoppers 228a, 228b,
228c, and 228d are used to control swinging angles of the drive
carrier 206. The side plates 204b and 204c further comprises two
engaging openings 265a and 265b respectively positioned at the left
sides of the side plates 204b and 204c for fastening to a flat
panel display personal computer, and two apertures 226a and 226b
respectively positioned at the right sides of the side plates 204b
and 204c for fastening to the protruded portions 222a and 222b.
[0033] Especially important, the present invention designs an
electromagnetic switch 211 on the chassis module 204. The
electromagnetic switch 211 comprises an electromagnetic valve 252,
a rod 254, a fastening unit 256, and an elastic element 258. The
electromagnetic valve 252 can be coupled with the control unit of
the flat panel display personal computer. For example, the
electromagnetic valve 252 can be detachably secured onto a fixed
board 261 of the chassis body 204a having two openings 260a and
260b, and the electromagnetic valve 252 also has two fixed openings
252a and 252b corresponding to the two openings 260a and 260b,
respectively. The user can utilize two screws to pass through the
openings 260a and 260b to tightly lock the fixed openings 252a and
252b so as to fasten the electromagnetic valve 252 to the fixed
board 261.
[0034] The fastening unit 256 is moveably disposed on the chassis
body 204a having an end secured onto the switch hook 213, and the
drive carrier 206 joins with the chassis module 204. The rod 254
has an end connected to the fastening unit 256, and another end
moveably disposed in a channel 252c of the electromagnetic valve
252. For example, the rod 254 has an opening 254a at the end of the
rod 254, and the fastening unit 256 also has an opening 254b at the
end of the fastening unit 256 so that the user only needs to
utilize one screw to pass through the two openings 254a and 254b so
as to engage the rod 254 with the fastening unit 256. Of course,
the rod 254 must be an iron-made material so as to be attracted by
a magnetic force generated from the electromagnetic valve 252 and
to move toward the channel 252c. Furthermore, the present invention
can also dispose the rod 254 within the elastic element 258, which
is connected between the fastening unit 256 and the electromagnetic
valve 252, so as to separate the fastening unit 256 and the
electromagnetic valve 252 by a predetermined distance. That is,
when the magnetic force of the electromagnetic valve 252 is
removed, the elastic force of the elastic element 258 will drive
the fastening unit 256 and the electromagnetic valve 252 to
maintain the predetermined distance.
[0035] It needs to be noted that one end of the fastening unit 256
must engage the switch hook 213, and the fastening unit 256 must be
pulled by the rod 254 when the rod 254 is attracted by the magnetic
force of the electromagnetic valve 252. The fastening unit 256
rotates with respect to the aperture 256a to cause the fastening
unit 256 to separate away from the switch hook 213 so that the
drive carrier 206 and the disk drive 208 will swing away from the
chassis module 204.
[0036] After the user disposes the drive carrier 206 within the
chassis module 204 along an arrow direction 270, the protruded
portions 222a and 222b are respectively engaged with the apertures
226a and 226b so as to detachably dispose the drive carrier 206
within the chassis module 204. That is, the optical disk drive
module 202 is positioned by the chassis module 204, drive carrier
206, the disk drive 208, and the cover 210.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the cover 210 is secured onto the disk
drive 208, the disk drive 208 is engaged within the drive carrier
206 via the cover 210, and the drive carrier 206 joins with the
chassis module 204. Furthermore, the electromagnetic switch 211 is
disposed on the chassis module 204, and the fastening unit 256 is
fastened to the switch hook 213 so that the drive carrier 206 and
the disk drive 208 is swung toward the chassis module 204. The
chassis stoppers 228c and 228b pushes against the right side of the
disk drive 208 to cause the optical disk drive module 202 to be in
a closed state. If the user takes a look at the optical disk drive
module 202 from the left side of the optical disk drive module 202,
the user can detect that the disk drive 208 and the drive carrier
206 are formed a streamline-shape mechanism with the chassis module
204, and the cover body 210a will be contacted and parallel with
the chassis body 204a.
[0038] When the user provides a pulse to the electromagnetic valve
252, the electromagnetic valve 252 will generate a magnetic force
in the channel 252c to pull the rod 254 to move in the channel 252c
along an arrow direction 550, and the rod 254 will pull the
fastening unit 256 to rotate with respect to the aperture 256a
along an arrow direction 560. Then, the fastening unit 256 will
separate from the switch hook 213 and compress the elastic element
258 due to the magnetic force. Therefore, the disk drive 206 will
rotate with respect to the protruded portions 222a and 222b along
the arrow direction 570 so as to allow the drive carrier 206 to
swing away from the chassis module 204 to form an open state of the
optical disk drive module 202.
[0039] When the optical disk drive module 202 is in the open state,
the protruded pieces 217a and 217b will push against the chassis
stoppers 228a and 228b to stop moving the drive carrier 206 so as
to allow the disk drive 208 to be used by the user. The
electromagnetic valve 252 will stop providing the magnetic force to
pull the rod 254 and the fastening unit 256, and the elastic
element 256 will push the fastening unit 256 to the original
location of the fastening unit 256. That is, a distance between the
fastening unit 256 and electromagnetic valve 252 will be restored
to the fixed distance, and the electromagnetic switch 211 will be
restored to the original shape. Of course, the user can also push
the drive carrier 206 upward when the optical disk drive module 202
is in the open state so as to rotate the drive carrier 206 with
respect to the protruded portions 222a and 222b along a reverse
direction of the arrow direction 570, and then the optical disk
drive module 202 will be restored to the closed state. That is, the
fastening unit 256 will fasten to the switch hook again, and the
chassis stoppers 228c and 228d will push against the right side of
the disk drive 208 so that the drive carrier 206 and the disk drive
208 will join with the chassis module 204 again.
[0040] The optical disk drive module 202 can also be installed in a
flat panel display personal computer. Please refer to FIG. 6. FIG.
6 is a perspective view of the flat panel display personal computer
600 with the optical disk drive module 202 depicted in FIG. 5. As
shown in FIG. 6, the flat panel display personal computer 600
comprises a computing module 602, a flat panel display 604, a
switch 609, a control unit 610, and the optical disk drive module
202. The computing module 602 is disposed at a rear side 604a of
the flat panel display 604 and coupled with the flat panel display
604. The rear side 604a of the flat panel display 604 has two
protruded portions 606a and 606b for engaging with the apertures
265a and 265b of the optical disk drive module 202 so as to
detachably dispose the optical disk drive module 202 onto the rear
side 604a of the flat panel display 604. That is, when a user takes
a look at the flat panel display personal computer 600 from a left
side of the flat panel display personal computer 600, the user
cannot detect the disk drive 208. This characteristic allows the
flat panel display personal computer 600 to have a streamlined
shape.
[0041] The switch 609 is positioned at a front cover of the flat
panel display 604 for generating a trigger signal when the switch
609 is pressed down. The control unit 610 is disposed in the
computing module 602 and coupled with the switch 609 and the
electromagnetic valve 252 for receiving the trigger signal and
generating a corresponding pulse to the electromagnetic valve 252.
Therefore, when the user wishes to use the disk drive 208, the user
only needs to press down the switch 609. The switch 609 will then
generate the trigger signal and transmit it to the control unit
610. According to the trigger signal, the control unit 610 will
generate the pulse to the electromagnetic valve 252. The
electromagnetic valve 252 receives the pulse and generates a
magnetic force in the channel 252c to pull the rod 254 so that the
fastening unit 256 will separate from the switch hook 213, and the
drive carrier 206 and the disk drive 208 will swing away from the
chassis module 204 to cause the optical disk drive module 202 to be
in an open state. Then, when the user takes a look at the flat
panel display personal computer 600 from the left side of the flat
panel display personal computer 600, the user will notice the disk
drive 208 so as to position an optical disc within the disk drive
208.
[0042] After positioning the optical disc inside the disk drive
208, the user only needs to push the drive carrier 206 upward so as
to cause the optical disk drive module 202 to be restored to the
closed state. The fastening unit 256 fastens to the switch hook 213
again so that the drive carrier 206 and the disk drive 208 are
enclosed in the chassis module 204 to cause the optical disk drive
module 202 to be restored to the closed state. The disk drive 208
will access the optical disc or be in a waiting state.
[0043] Technologies of the present invention are not limited by the
above description.
[0044] For example, the disk drive 208 can be a CD-ROM drive, a
DVD-ROM player, a CDROM burner, a DVD-ROM burner, a CD-RW drive, a
DVD-RW drive or a portable hard disk. The present flat panel
display personal computer can utilize the optical disk drive module
to conceal the disk drive at the rear side of the flat panel
display so as to reduce space occupied by hardware, and utilize the
switch and the electromagnetic switch to allow the optical disk
drive module lowering the disk drive so as to show the disk drive
at the front side of the flat panel display.
[0045] Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an
optical disk drive module with a stopper switch when the optical
disk drive 208 is enclosed according to the second preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the
first and second preferred embodiment of the present invention is
that the second preferred embodiment utilizes a stopper switch 711
to control the open and closed states of an optical disk drive
module 702. The stopper switch 711 is moveably disposed on the
chassis body 204a and comprises a fastening unit 756 and a stopper
unit 759. The fastening unit 756 is moveably disposed on the
chassis body 204a and has an end secured onto the switch hook 213
when the drive carrier 206 joins with the chassis module 204. The
stopper unit 759 has an end fastened to the fastening unit 756. For
example, a user can utilize a screw to pass through an aperture
756a of the fastening unit 756 and the stopper unit 759 to be
tightly fixed on the chassis body 204a. The stopper unit 759 is
positioned in the movement path of a tray 772 of the disk drive 208
for being pushed by the tray 772 when the tray 772 moves out of the
disk drive.
[0046] When the tray 772 of the disk drive 208 moves out of the
disk drive 208, the tray 772 will push the stopper unit 759 along
an arrow direction 780, the stopper unit 759 will separate the
fastening unit 756 from the switch hook 213 and cause the fastening
unit 756 moving along an arrow direction 760, thus swing the drive
carrier 206 away from the chassis module 204 along an arrow
direction 770 to expose the disk drive 208 below the flat panel
display (not shown).
[0047] The optical disk drive module 702 can be installed in a flat
panel display personal computer. Please refer to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is
a perspective view of a flat panel display personal computer 800
with the optical disk drive module 702 depicted in FIG. 7. As shown
in FIG. 8, the flat panel display personal computer 800 comprises a
computing module 802, a flat panel display 804, a control unit 810,
and the optical disk drive module 702. The computing module 802 is
disposed at a rear side 804a of the flat panel display 804 and
coupled with the flat panel display 804. The rear side 804a of the
flat panel display 804 has two protruded portions 806a and 806b for
engaging with the apertures 265a and 265b of the optical disk drive
module 702 so as to detachably dispose the optical disk drive
module 702 onto the rear side 804a of the flat panel display 804.
That is, when a user takes a look at the flat panel display
personal computer 800 from a left side of the flat panel display
personal computer 800, the user cannot notice the disk drive 208.
This characteristic allows the flat panel display personal computer
800 to have a streamlined shape.
[0048] Computer software is installed in the computing module 802
for displaying a user interface on the flat panel display 804 so as
to allow a user to choose a desired computer software function, and
according to that, a trigger signal will be generated. The control
unit 810 is disposed in the computing module 802 and coupled with
the computer software and the disk drive 208 for receiving the
trigger signal and driving the disk drive 208 to push the tray 772
out of the disk drive 208. Therefore, when the user wishes to use
the disk drive 208, the user only needs to perform the desired
computer software function. The computer software will generate the
trigger signal, and the control unit 810 will receive the trigger
signal and drive the disk drive 208 to push the tray 772 out of the
disk drive 208. Then, the tray 772 will push the stopper unit 759
so that the fastening unit 756 will separate from the switch hook
213, and the drive carrier 206 and the disk drive 208 will swing
away from the chassis module 204 to cause the optical disk drive
module 202 to be in an open state.
[0049] After positioning the optical disc inside the disk drive
208, the user only needs to push the drive carrier 206 upward so as
to cause the optical disk drive module 702 to be restored to the
closed state. The fastening unit 756 fastens to the switch hook 213
again so that the drive carrier 206 and the disk drive 208 are
enclosed in the chassis module 204 to cause the optical disk drive
module 702 to be restored to the closed state. The disk drive 208
will access the optical disc or be in a waiting state.
[0050] It needs to be noted that the present invention can fasten
the stopper unit 759 to the fastening unit 256 of the
electromagnetic switch 211 so that the electromagnetic switch
fastening with the stopper unit 759 has effects of the
electromagnetic switch 211 and the stopper switch 711 for the user
to choose. When the user presses down the switch, the
electromagnetic valve will generate a magnetic force to pull the
rod so as to allow the fastening unit to separate from the switch
hook, and the stopper unit will not influence motion of the tray.
Furthermore, when the user performs a desired computer software
function, the tray will push the stopper unit so as to allow the
fastening unit to separate from the switch hook, and the
electromagnetic valve will not generate magnetic forces.
[0051] In contrast to the prior art, the present flat panel display
personal computer can utilize the optical disk drive module to
conceal the disk drive at a rear side of the flat panel display so
as to reduce space occupied by hardware, and utilize the switch and
the electromagnetic switch, or the computer software and the
stopper switch, to allow the optical disk drive module lowering the
disk drive so as to display the disk drive at a front side of the
flat panel display.
[0052] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device may be made while
retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above
disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and
bounds of the appended claims.
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